The High Court of Malawi has dismissed an application for bail by Annie Debra Mumba, who is serving a 53-year jail term for the murder of her husband Professor Peter Mumba in April 2020.
In a ruling dated July 28 2025, Judge Mzonde Mvula ruled that the convict failed to prove the exceptional and unusual circumstances required by law for a convict to be released on bail pending an appeal.
The widow was sentenced on October 31 2024 for murder contrary to Section 209 of the Penal Code after the court found that she executed a “cold calculated” plan to kill her husband and then sophisticatedly concealed his death.
In her application, she argued that her appeal in the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal had a high likelihood of success. She listed 10 grounds, including that the court relied on insufficient evidence, shifted the burden of proof onto her and that the 53-year sentence was excessive.
But the State argued that a convict must prove exceptional circumstances to regain freedom and that Mumba had not served even a quarter of her sentence, making it unlikely she would complete it before her appeal is heard.
In his ruling, Mvula agreed with the State saying that the principles for granting bail pending appeal are strict and are not met simply by filing an appeal.
